High Ho Silver /Williams says hurdler’s future may be over bigger obstacles
Connections of Silver Streak will mull a switch to the chasing sphere over the summer.
Evan Williams’ sevenyear-old enjoyed another fruitful season over hurdles, winning a Listed event as well as placing twice in Grade One company and finishing sixth to Epatante in the Champion Hurdle.
Williams was pleased with Silver Streak’s run at Cheltenham – where he was third 12 months earlier behind Espoir D’allen – and is uncertain as to where his future will lie at present.
He said: “How could you be anything other than pleased? Take the winner out of the race and he’s the best of the British runners.
“We’ll have to see whether we stay over hurdles or think about going chasing with him next season.
“We’ll see after the summer, but he could go over fences or we could stay taking some prize money over hurdles.”
Williams also sent Grade One winner Esprit Du Large for the Arkle, but he crashed out at the penultimate obstacle.
The six-year-old was none the worse for that tumble and would likely have run again had the season not ended prematurely due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Williams said: “He was fine after his fall and I think there’s no doubt we would have been looking to Aintree or Ayr with him.
“Up until his fall, he wasn’t running a bad race for a horse with so little experience. I wouldn’t have any firm plans for next season yet, I wasn’t really thinking any further than Aintree or Ayr.
“We’ll sit down and have a chat at the end of the summer – there’s plenty of options for second-season chasers and I think he’ll stay a bit further, he’s not just a two-miler.”
The majority of Williams’ team is off on an early summer break as jumps racing will not resume until 1 July at the earliest, but the trainer does have a few runners in reserve should the action return as hoped.
He added: “Most of them are out now, but I’ve kept a small bunch in half-work in case things look like they could get going in July.”